Chitin Bodies Vs Teeth of Hookworm

Aims: To differentiate morphologically and functionality of chitin bodies belong to Necator americanus (old world hook worm) vs. 2 pair of teeth belong to Ancylostoma duodenale (new world hook worm)

Discussion: Anemia due to hookworms caused by persistent blood loss. Those micro-bleeding occurs due to the attachment to the villi of the host’s small intestine in order to facilitate feed on their host’s blood. Hookworms use their two pairs of teeth (A. duodenale) or cutting plates called chitin bodies (N. americanus) to fasten their attachment onto the mucosa and submucosa, where at the same time they secrete a series of biochemically active polypeptides that prevent blood from clotting and supress the host inflammatory response. Differences in the shape of teeth or similar apparatus in the two species of hookworms that infect humans play a role in the occurrence of persistent minor bleeding that causes anemia and this also depend on the number of hookworms invaded the host.

Conclusion: chitin bodies of N. americanus causes less bleeding than two pairs of teeth belongs to A. duodenale